Look at the big picture. Vote for the 3% tax. Then see a new tax pop up. Maybe your land tax will go up or alcohol or tobacco or water or utilities etc. The people that will bebefit most from the decrease will be those coming from abutting states whose sales tax is higher. Mark my words. Lived in New Hampshire.

Look at the big picture. Vote for the 3% tax. Then see a new tax pop up. Maybe your land tax will go up or alcohol or tobacco or water or utilities etc. The people that will bebefit most from the decrease will be those coming from abutting states whose sales tax is higher. Mark my words. Lived in New Hampshire.

This would be a problem? Attracting out of state shoppers because our tax is lower? Out our end of the state, we would have tons of New Yorkers coming here to shop, since their sales tax is 7 or 8% and they tax clothes and we don't. Advertise it in Eastern New York and they will flock here.This would be a huge benefit to Western Mass retailers near the border. Plus, maybe people nearer to New Hampshire would stop going over the border to buy over there to avoid sales tax.

This is the THIRD 'tax reduction referendum question' that I can remember coming through.

The first one PASSED, but was NEVER ENACTED.

That's right, the state said, newp, we can't do it, sorry.

The 2nd one was the last election cycle, and it failed. The state then seemed to take that as a directive to RAISE taxes, and they went for the throat (raise SALES tax in a downturned economy tends to reduce purchases, or move the purchases to New Hampshire = next to zero gain for Mass).

Judging by the last two referendum questions, I'd say:

if it passes: they won't do it anyway, but it will spotlight how little the legislature really cares about the opinion's of voters.

If it fails: as the last time, it will be taken as a directive to RAISE taxes. If the majority of people say the current tax rate is just fine, that is taken as us NOT being at the backlash/public outcry level yet.

Look at the big picture. Vote for the 3% tax. Then see a new tax pop up. Maybe your land tax will go up or alcohol or tobacco or water or utilities etc. The people that will bebefit most from the decrease will be those coming from abutting states whose sales tax is higher. Mark my words. Lived in New Hampshire.

Did you happen to notice that they RAISED taxes after the last tax lowering referendum question was defeated?

If passed, they WILL NOT enact a tax lowering directive, but they will take it for what it is, the voters saying ENOUGH!

Why I believe it is a wise decision to vote "NO" on ballot Question #3 Sales and Use Tax Rates: Voting "yes" to reduce the Massachusetts tax rate to 3% is not only unwise but would also be foolish at this crucial point within this current recovery of the economy of our Commonwealth. Our roads and bridges, our infrastructure, are dangerous if not deadly and are in dire need to our immediate attention. A "yes" vote will make repairing our infrastucture practically impossible for how will we pay the workers? We also have to have all of that snow cleared off of our highways and streets too. A "yes" vote will cause less money to funnel into that (for salt, for sand, and for deicer materials) and could very well domino into less people employed to plow away that snow as quickly and efficiently as usual within a possible wintry storm emergency. Some towns are already calling for other towns' fire departments to respond to burning buildings that are out of control because they just do not have enough resources to extinguish the fire alone (Lawrence, MA - A fire that broke out at a building at 65 Park St. on June 26, 2010 became a four alarm blaze. The City of Lawrence had recently been hit with budget cuts, which made assistance from other towns necessary. The city is currently staffed with only 3 engines and a ladder due to these cuts). A "yes" vote will literally bring the roof down on the fire departments (especially in the smaller towns) and you will witness more fire station closures than ever before due to budget cuts, and there will also be less police on the beat to protect you and/or your children and the rest of your family and your community in general (especially in the smaller towns) as well. Some of our cities and towns are undergoing library and school closures because of the country's past economic recession; the lucky ones that remained open resulted in eliminating staff, like teachers, and/or reducing the hours of which they are open. A "yes" vote would definitely call for less teachers and increasingly crowded classrooms where students are most likely to receive the attention and education that they deserve due to cutbacks. MassHealth, Commonwealth Care, has already had cutbacks to make of its own because of the number of people who depend upon them now (some unemployed who cannot find work and some *disabled* who are *unable* to work and the *elderly* that MassHealth also assists [in addition to their Medicare] will endure further unfortunate setbacks). A "yes" vote would further devastate their lives and some chances of recovery, howbeit financial and/or medical where lives might have been saved. Also let us not forget about all of the people who are currently receiving (or will receive) food stamp assistance, or, fuel assistance during the cold and wintry months; these people who live at or below the poverty line will go hungry and children will go hungry too due to cutbacks that will be foisted upon the food stamp division resulting in people, in familes receiving less food stamps a month. The disabled and the elderly of our communities will have to invent new ways to try to survive and to stay as warm as some of us do during the winter because they will no longer be able to afford heating like some others can, hopefully not dying in the process (as they had before). It is obvious what a "yes" vote would result to the least of us...[CONTINUES

Why I believe it is a wise decision to vote "NO" on ballot Question #3 Sales and Use Tax Rates:

Furthermore, if you are not convinced yet to vote "NO" with me on Question #3, the Massachusetts Government will just invent new ways to try to make up for the $2.5 billion that would be lost in our state's revenue. Perhaps Massachusetts will do something similar to what New York has recently done and create a tax on clothing(?). Perhaps our cities and towns will raise vehicle excise taxes in order for them to prepare for wintry storm emergencies, forgetting about restoring our streets and bridges. Maybe just perhaps they will decide to raise property taxes as well.

The bottom line is that this is America and in America you are taxed. Of course, nobody likes paying taxes (especially newly invented taxes), but in America our taxes pay for things such as what I have mentioned in Part One. In America, our taxes support our schools, our fire departments, our police forces -- the bottom line, our taxes support us! This is just how America operates. We, here in Massachusetts, can be thankful that we are not in the same boat as some states like California. I can certainly understand why sustaining a 6.25% sales tax is vital to the best interests of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. So, I am voting "NO" on ballot Question #3 Sales and Use Tax Rates, and I hope you agree to vote "NO" too.

Why I believe it is a wise decision to vote "NO" on ballot Question #3 Sales and Use Tax Rates:

Voting "yes" to reduce the Massachusetts tax rate to 3% is not only unwise but would also be foolish at this crucial point within this current recovery of the economy of our Commonwealth. Our roads and bridges, our infrastructure, are dangerous if not deadly and are in dire need to our immediate attention. A "yes" vote will make repairing our infrastucture practically impossible for how will we pay the workers? We also have to have all of that snow cleared off of our highways and streets too. A "yes" vote will cause less money to funnel into that (for salt, for sand, and for deicer materials) and could very well domino into less people employed to plow away that snow as quickly and efficiently as usual within a possible wintry storm emergency. Some towns are already calling for other towns' fire departments to respond to burning buildings that are out of control because they just do not have enough resources to extinguish the fire alone (Lawrence, MA - A fire that broke out at a building at 65 Park St. on June 26, 2010 became a four alarm blaze. The City of Lawrence had recently been hit with budget cuts, which made assistance from other towns necessary. The city is currently staffed with only 3 engines and a ladder due to these cuts). A "yes" vote will literally bring the roof down on the fire departments (especially in the smaller towns) and you will witness more fire station closures than ever before due to budget cuts, and there will also be less police on the beat to protect you and/or your children and the rest of your family and your community in general (especially in the smaller towns) as well. Some of our cities and towns are undergoing library and school closures because of the country's past economic recession; the lucky ones that remained open resulted in eliminating staff, like teachers, and/or reducing the hours of which they are open. A "yes" vote would definitely call for less teachers and increasingly crowded classrooms where students are most likely to receive the attention and education that they deserve due to cutbacks. MassHealth, Commonwealth Care, has already had cutbacks to make of its own because of the number of people who depend upon them now (some unemployed who cannot find work and some *disabled* who are *unable* to work and the *elderly* that MassHealth also assists [in addition to their Medicare] will endure further unfortunate setbacks). A "yes" vote would further devastate their lives and some chances of recovery, howbeit financial and/or medical where lives might have been saved. Also let us not forget about all of the people who are currently receiving (or will receive) food stamp assistance, or, fuel assistance during the cold and wintry months; these people who live at or below the poverty line will go hungry and children will go hungry too due to cutbacks that will be foisted upon the food stamp division resulting in people, in familes receiving less food stamps a month. The disabled and the elderly of our communities will have to invent new ways to try to survive and to stay as warm as some of us do during the winter because they will no longer be able to afford heating like some others can, hopefully not dying in the process (as they had before). It is obvious what a "yes" vote would result to the least of us...[CONTINUES]

Lower sales tax equals higher "other" tax. Yes it will bring shoppers from NY. But at what cost? Higher property tax maybe. See how much your taxes are per $1,000. Then do some research. See what NH property tax rates are. You will be blown away. By the way....NH has no excise tax either.

I vote yes on question 3. We wouldn't be in such financial turmoil if Deval an all of his moonbat friends weren't "giving" away the farm with all of their social programs which provide generation after generation "free money" to live of the system. Welfare was intended to help people get back on their feet, not live on for generations. Furthermore the money and benefits given to ILLEGALS must stop! ILLEGALS don't pay a penny into the system. I see comments about not having money to rebuild and maintain roads and bridges. We wouldn't have that problem if there weren't so many IllEGALS and slime balls sucking off the system. Public funds should be used for the purpose of funding infrastructure. I for one am tired of paying taxes into a system of which I receive absolutely no benefit. I am tired of working hard and having my hard earned money be used for the benefit of those who can't or won't lift a finger to provide for themselves. Why is it that I see so many welfare people driving around in Mercedes and BMW's? If they can afford a vehicle like that, they certainly don't need our money! These vehicles should be confiscated and these people should be held accountable for fraud! We have become a socialist society, sooner or later the moonbats will run out of "other" people's money to spend and there will be a monumental collapse. I say keep social programs VERY limited and use tax dollars for what they were intended for. YES TO QUESTION 3!!!

Why I believe it is a wise decision to vote "NO" on ballot Question #3 Sales and Use Tax Rates:Voting "yes" to reduce the Massachusetts tax rate to 3% is not only unwise but would also be foolish at this crucial point within this current recovery of the economy of our Commonwealth. Our roads and bridges, our infrastructure, are dangerous if not deadly and are in dire need to our immediate attention. A "yes" vote will make repairing our infrastucture practically impossible for how will we pay the workers?

Infrastructure.3%, or 30% tax, it does not matter,they will continue to fund the items they deem important, and will choose not to fund those that they deem unimportant,

and those same pitiful Massachusetts bridges & roads will continue to be a falling down disgrace either way.

Those bridges & roads were falling apart in 1988 when the referendum question was to raise taxes to SPECIFICALLY pay for road and bridge repair.

Guess what? that referendum question passed, and the extra gas tax money DID NOT go towards bridges & roads (it went into the GENERAL FUND).

Now use that same POS falling down infrastructure to hold the line on taxes, lol.

If you think you get no benefits from your taxes, you must not drive or have gone to school or needed a policeman or fireman, etc., etc., etc.. You lose alot of credibility when you say you see so many people driving around in Mercedes and Beamers. While there are abuses of the system, you can't really believe that most of the people on welfare live that well. If you want to complain about people who abuse the system, complain about the corporations that pay no taxes and get multi million dollar hand outs from the gov., they waste more of your money in a minute than does the welfare cheat in a year.

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